Lt.
Lee B. Crane was a dead man.He knew
it.His superior officers knew it.In fact, the whole crew aboard his current
boat, the submarine Nautilus, knew it.At the moment she was docked at the Naval base in Pearl
Harbor, but Lee hadn’t requested shore leave, nor had any been
offered.When he wasn’t attending to
those duties that still needed doing in his station, Engineering, he sat
quietly in the tiny cabin he shared with three other JOs, his head hanging
down, thinking about what had gotten him into this mess in the first
place.Occasionally his head would pop
up and his fists would clench as he remembered the incident three days
previous, just after Nautilus had docked.It was not an error, he would remind himself firmly.Even if it did sort of happen
accidentally, it needed doing.I’m not
sorry I did it, and given the same conditions I’d do it again.Then he would take a deep breath, remind himself
that what he did amounted to nothing less than suicide to any advanced career
plans he might have with the Navy, and he would once more hang his head.

During
those three days, no one on the boat said more to him than they absolutely had
to.Even if one of the junior officers
he shared the cabin with walked in, they left him pretty much alone.Afraid to be found ‘guilty by association,’
he knew.Oh, there had been a couple of
quiet little comments supporting him – always done when no one else could
hear.Nautilus’ corpsman had given him a
quick smile and a thumb’s up right after the incident.Some of the crewmen had given him sympathetic
nods.A couple of times an extra cookie
or brownie had appeared on his plate at mealtimes.

Once,
in the Wardroom, the XO, Lt. Cdr. Mains, had walked in when Lee was just
finishing his meal.Lee hadn’t much
wanted anything to eat, with the severe case of nerves he’d been fighting ever
since the incident.But knowing that he
would ultimately just make himself that much more sick to the stomach if he
didn’t, had forced himself to manage at least a few bites three times a
day.Lee had instantly popped to
Attention when Mr. Mains entered.The XO
hadn’t said anything, just nodded and waved him back to his seat. But Lee picked up his plate, scraped the
uneaten food into the garbage, and hustled out.However, not before noticing a look of…something…cross Mains’ face.At any other time Lee would have thought it a
look of amusement.But Lee didn’t think
Mains was that mean or petty to enjoy Lee’s predicament.Lee really liked the XO.In fact, he liked the whole crew.He knew that he’d obviously misread the look.Probably just pity, he told himself, and
hurried back to his duties.

For
Lee had committed the ultimate sin for a military man.Not only had he questioned his Captain’s
instructions, he’d openly, almost as soon as Nautilus had docked, reported his
Skipper to the base’s commanding admiral.

~

The
problem – or rather, what Lee considered a problem and his Skipper adamantly
hadn’t – started four days prior to Nautilus making port.Lee had joined the crew almost two months
before that, at Norfolk,
and this was the first time the boat had docked since.They’d patrolled the North
Atlantic for over a month, eventually cruising under the polar cap
and entering the North Pacific.Lee had
been excited and thrilled when he’d received his orders.Excited to be assigned to the most powerful
submarine in the world, and thrilled to be serving under her Skipper, Capt.
Harriman Nelson.Lee had met Nelson his
fourth-class year at Annapolis.Nelson had been an occasional instructor at
the Academy all four years that Lee was there.Other middies had complained that Nelson was a taskmaster and a
crackpot, expounding theories of submarine design that sounded too futuristic
and impractical to implement, and demanding a level of excellence that many
students found extremely hard to attain.Lee discovered that he liked being pushed to reach higher levels of
understanding.He read in Nelson an
intensity to strive further than mere competency, a need that struck cords
within Lee.

And
apparently Nelson recognized those attributes in Lee as well.Nelson never showed favoritism.In fact just the opposite – he seemed to push
Lee harder.But between the two there
grew a connection.Lee could easily
admit that Nelson had become very much a mentor to him.Lee’s own father had died when Lee was only
five.Nelson nurtured in Lee the natural
curiosity – about everything – that Lee’s mother had instilled in him, and
became a man that Lee looked up to.

Now,
Lee was going to have the opportunity to work under Nelson in actual
environments, not just classroom simulations.He was honest enough to admit to a bit of trepidation, along with the
excitement.Lee had not seen Nelson
since graduation, and it was never easy trying to live up to the expectations
you assumed would be placed on you by those you considered your mentors.

Lee
had quickly settled in to the boat’s rhythms and routines.As the most junior of the officers he didn’t
have much free time.He was expected to
not only become totally comfortable with his own Engineering duties, but to
familiarize himself with all the other stations as well.He got along with the other officers.He made a point to get to know those crewmen
he directly supervised, as well as at least chat with as many others as he came
in contact with.While remaining relaxed
and friendly around them, he taught the men under his command that while he
broached no slouching of duties, he was also right there helping them with any
problems that should arise.

Those
first few weeks Lee saw little of Capt. Nelson.Lee was assigned the Dog watch – 0000 to 0600 hours – and, if he wasn’t
on watch he was participating in drills, evaluating the results, studying
manuals to improve results, and getting ready for the next set of drills.Submarines were a tight environment that only
survived if everyone performed on exceptionally high levels.Lee pushed his men to excel, but he pushed
himself even harder.The acceptance of
his peers was good, but acceptance from himself that he’d done the best he was
capable of was demanded.

As
watches were rotated, and Lee was assigned various other duties, he had the
opportunity to spend more time in the Conn
and around Capt. Nelson, as well as share the occasional meal in the
Wardroom.Their previous acquaintance
was never mentioned, except for one brief conversation one day when Nelson
walked into the Wardroom for a cup of coffee and interrupted an impromptu poker
game among the off-duty JOs.The
incident reminded both men of something that had happened at Annapolis, and caused a brief smile and a few
words from each of them.*

Lee
did feel comfortable that he was accepted aboard Nautilus.The crewmen under him easily followed his
leadership.The occasional nods that he
got from the COB told him that the man most responsible for the enlisted aboard
– and someone, Lee had discovered, who usually frowned on ‘wet behind the ears’
junior officers – had no qualms with him.Lee knew that a good COB felt it his responsibility to make sure the
crewmen were treated right.COBs took
their complaints directly to the Executive Officer, and so far Lee had had
nothing other than complimentary comments on his performance.Well, except for being called to task one day
by his direct supervisor, Lt. Worth, for helping a couple crewmen repair some
faulty wiring when he was supposed to be in his rack sleeping.But Lee had known that there was a major
drill coming up in just a few hours, and wanted to make sure that his
department was ready for it.By helping
out he was assuring that his men were well rested and ready for whatever was
thrown at them.When he’d explained that
to Worth, the Lieutenant had just shaken his head, reminded Lee that he was
also responsible for making sure that he was ready for the drills as
well, and ordered him to stand down.Lee
had crashed – reluctantly.But he’d
gotten a good deal of satisfaction when his section scored the highest rankings
for proficiency on the next day’s exercises.

A
couple of times during the cruise, Nelson had ordered Nautilus stopped and he’d
gone out on dives to collect samples of some sort.Lee knew that Nelson was almost more scientist
than naval officer, and that he was a certifiable genius.Some of Nelson’s more disgruntled students at
Annapolis had
referred to him as merely ‘certifiable.’Lee wasn’t sure what the Navy thought about Nelson obviously continuing
his research.But then, it wasn’t his
place to consider such topics.When he
was assigned to accompany Nelson on a dive shortly before they were to reach Pearl Harbor for re-supply, he’d eagerly complied.

As
they were suiting up, Nelson explained that various instrumentation in the Conn had suddenly acted
oddly while Nautilus was passing a seemingly insignificant seamount.A few kilometers further on, everything had
returned to normal.Nelson had ordered
Nautilus back to the seamount where, again, instruments went a little
haywire.They weren’t all that deep, and
the water was clear.Nelson was going
out to do a visual inspection of the seamount, and collect samples to see if he
could figure out what was causing the anomalous readings.He didn’t explain why he’d chosen Lee to
accompany him, and Lee didn’t particularly care.He loved diving for whatever reason, and
having the opportunity to go with Nelson was just that much better.

At
first, all went well.They noticed that
whatever was causing the strange readings onboard was also having an effect on
their diving instruments.But as they
both had full tanks, and Nautilus was close by, neither thought much about
it.There were no outward indications of
an explanation from a brief visual inspection of the otherwise innocent-looking
rise on the ocean floor.Nelson had
brought along an auger for taking samples from within the mound, which Lee
carefully stowed in the collection bag he carried.

They’d taken about half a dozen
samples, and Nelson was just about to complete another one, when a burst of
steam sprayed out of the hole Nelson was making.It was strong enough to throw both men back,
Nelson harder than Lee as he was closer to it.Nelson fell backwards against the seafloor, jarring his body and causing
him to momentarily lose his scuba mouthpiece.But even before Lee could reach him, he’d gotten himself back under
control.He’d just shrugged off Lee’s
concern, retrieved his auger, and they returned to the boat.While they re-dressed, Nelson explained that
apparently there was a pocket inside the mound, which he had inadvertently
tapped.He just laughed it off as one of
the hazards of undersea exploration, gathered up the sample bag, and headed to
the small laboratory Lee knew that he maintained on the sub.

Lee
was concerned, however, by the fact that Nelson had been coughing rather
heavily once they returned to the boat, and suspected the Skipper of having
swallowed some water during the brief time that he’d been without his
mouthpiece.Nelson was also a smoker, so
tended toward a slight cough from time to time anyway.Between the two it bothered Lee.He casually mentioned that perhaps Nelson
should let the corpsman check him over, but Nelson just waved off the
suggestion and walked away.Lee could do
nothing more than shrug and get back to his duties.

The
next day Lee happened to be in the Wardroom when Nelson and XO Mains walked
in.Lee was quick to note that Nelson’s
cough had not diminished.It didn’t seem
to have affected the Skipper’s appetite, however, as he loaded his plate and
sat down to eat.Lee was done eating,
and rose to leave just as the two senior officers were sitting down.He hesitated, not sure what he wanted to do,
and Mr. Mains pointed an eyebrow at him.

“A
question, Mr. Crane?”

“Yes,
sir, if I’m not interrupting.”

Nelson’s
rumbled chuckles filled the small room.“We were just discussing the fourteen hours of debriefing we’re both
going to have to endure when we reach Pearl.And that’s after some presentation I’ve been
‘invited’ to attend at the PunchbowlCemetery – some senator
wants to get himself in the newspaper, apparently.Your question is a welcome respite to those
thoughts.”

Despite
himself, Lee sent both men a small look of half-smile, half-grimace.Debriefings were a necessary part of the
completion of any cruise, but they always seemed like such a royal pain.Lee wasn’t even going to get into a few
senators’ speeches he’d been stuck listening to over the last couple of years.“Just wondering, sir,” he addressed Capt.
Nelson, “if you’d answered the puzzle of the seamount?”

Nelson’s
reply continued to be punctuated by small coughs.“The samples we brought in proved to contain
magnetic particles.That happens
sometimes around thermal vents.In one
sample the concentration was larger than I’ve ever seen in that kind of
setting, however.”His eyes were
sparkling.

Lee
had to struggle to maintain a benign expression, and suspected that he knew why
XO Mains had to quickly hide a smile behind his coffee mug.There was never any doubt when Nelson was
expounding on an exciting subject.Well,
exiting to him, anyway.But just as Lee
was about to comment, a particularly heavy cough hit the Captain.“Sir…” Lee started to once more suggest that
Nelson see the corpsman.

But
Nelson cut him off with a firm, “Aren’t you due on watch, mister?”

Actually,
Lee wasn’t scheduled for almost an hour.But he was only too familiar with that tone, whether it came from his
Skipper or his instructor.“Aye, sir,”
he acquiesced, turned, and left.

Lee
didn’t see Capt. Nelson at all the next day, but he did have reports of
Nelson’s activities - accidental though they were.Just as he walked into the Wardroom for
breakfast, he overheard the XO say to the ‘B’ watch officer, Lt. Corcoran, something
about Nelson being up half the night.Corcoran started to reply, noticed Lee, and both he and Mains stopped
talking.But Lee had had occasion to
walk past the Skipper’s cabin during the night, having to run up to the Conn
from Engineering to check on a gauge that the watch officer suspected was
malfunctioning, and he’d heard Nelson coughing badly.And at supper there were a couple of mutters
between two other JOs who had apparently been chewed out by Capt. Nelson over a
minor incident in the Conn
that afternoon.Nelson had left right
after the incident and returned to his cabin – at least that’s the story the
JOs were told by XO Mains when he quietly tried to smooth the feathers Nelson’s
reprimand had ruffled.Mains had told
them that Nelson was just on edge over something, and once they reached Pearl and everyone had
some leave time, things would calm down.Lee figured that he’d meant when Nelson finally started feeling better,
but he kept that thought to himself.

What
happened the following morning, and what got Lee into such trouble, might not
have happened at all if a few seemingly unrelated occurrences hadn’t chosen to
take place all at the same time.Lee was
assigned Duty Watch at the conning hatch, checking off all crew headed for
shore leave.He didn’t mind, enjoying
the chance to exchange a few casual words with the crewmen.It meant standing out in a slight drizzle of
rain, but that didn’t bother him, either.He did give half a thought to Nelson’s earlier comment about having to
go to a speech of some sort, but figured that there would be canopies set
up.The senators Lee had run into on
occasion didn’t seem the kind to like getting wet!An official car pulled up at the base of the
gangplank and Admiral Daniel Laird, the base commander, exited the rear seat
just as Lee heard a heavy cough sound on the ladder inside the hatch.Lee had met Admiral Laird following a TAD
assignment to ONI, the Navy’s intelligence agency.The mission culminated at Pearl, and Laird had sat in on the debriefing.He’d been impressed with the young
Lieutenant’s handling of a rather delicate matter involving the daughter of a
foreign diplomat who had seduced the son of a Marine general and nearly gotten
him to hand over several highly classified documents.Laird had wanted Lee assigned to Pearl, apparently to
‘handle’ a couple of problems they were having, but ONI had refused to release
Lee from their immediate clutches.Laird
had told Lee that, anytime he wanted, he had a position on the Admiral’s staff.Lee had just smiled, thanked him, and headed
off to his next assignment.

It
took Laird several steps up the gangplank before he realized who was standing
at the top.Lee saluted smartly, but a
slight smile touched his lips as Laird returned the salute lazily and a grin
hit his face.“Crane,” he greeted Lee
with an outstretched hand.“So this is
where you’re hiding these days.”

Lee’s
reply was cut off as Capt. Nelson stepped through the hatch.“I gather you know my newest JO.”Nelson smiled as well, then had to quickly
cover a cough.

“Had
the pleasure of his company for a few hours at the tail end of a TAD
assignment.”Laird continued to grin as
he also held out a hand to Nelson.“Told
him I’d make a place for him on my staff anytime.”

“Well,
you can’t have him before he’s finished his tour here,” Nelson told the Admiral
firmly.

“Ah,
Harry, you mean we can’t negotiate on our way out to the Punchbowl for the
ceremonies?”He glanced at the soggy
skies.“Or better yet, over a hot drink
at the ‘O’ club afterwards.As
long-winded at Senator Harris is, we’re all going to be drenched by the time he
shuts up.”He glanced at Lee.“And you didn’t hear that, Lieutenant,’ he
ordered.But he was still grinning.

Lee
came to Attention.“Yes, sir,” he
responded smartly.He couldn’t bring
himself to look directly at his Skipper.Nelson started to walk past him down the gangplank, obviously expecting
Admiral Laird to follow.

But
Laird hesitated, looked between the two a moment, and then addressed Lee.His words stopped Nelson’s forward progress,
and he turned back.“Captain, I think
I’d like to hear what the Lieutenant was about to say.”

Lee
didn’t dare look at Capt. Nelson.He
could almost feel the heat from the twin blue lasers he knew were being
directed at him from his Skipper’s eyes.He felt trapped, now that he’d actually opened his mouth.But it was too late now.“Capt. Nelson had a minor diving accident a
few days ago, and has been coughing ever since.He shouldn’t be standing out in this rain, sir.”He took a deep breath.“At least, in my opinion, sir.”He prepared himself to get blasted into the
next time zone, such was Nelson’s infamous temper.

It
didn’t happen.Admiral Laird gave him a
long look, then turned toward Nelson.“Is the Lieutenant correct, Harry?”

“I’m
fine,” Nelson growled.Unfortunately, he
also coughed again.

“I
think, perhaps, we’ll just test that theory – at the base hospital.”He turned finally toward Nelson.“If nothing else, it’s a great excuse to get
out of going to that stupid speech.”He
grinned at Nelson.Nelson wasn’t
amused.He sent a particularly dangerous
look Lee’s way, but Laird cut it off with another chuckle.“Capt. Nelson.”There was still a smile on his face, but a
command in the tone of his voice.

It
wasn’t lost on Nelson.He finally looked
at Laird, and lost some of his stiff posture.“Sir,” he acquiesced.Laird
nodded down the gangplank, and the two men made their way back to the car, and
that was the last time Nelson had been on the boat.

~

Which
explained why Lee now found himself in his present predicament.He’d had no word of Capt. Nelson’s condition,
nor had he asked; he’d just kept his nose in his own duties.And thoughts of how his once-promising naval
career could go to hell-in-a-hand-basket so fast.He was just standing up, feeling like he was
about to lose what little he’d eaten for breakfast, when the intercom went
off.“Lt. Crane,” came in XO Mains’
clear, calm voice, “report to the Conn.And bring your jacket and cover.”

Lee
took a deep breath.Here it comes, he
thought.I get my six tossed off the
boat without benefit of the gangplank.Although,
Mains hadn’t told him to pack his kit…

“Lt.
Crane,” demanded the intercom.Lee
hustled to control his woolgathering and jumped for the button.

“On
my way, sir,” he answered smartly.He
still took a couple of seconds to try and get himself under control, grabbed
the required two items, and hustled forward.

He
entered the Conn
with trepidation, but the only men there were the skeleton duty crew needed to
maintain the boat in port, and XO Mains.No Capt. Nelson, as Lee was expecting.Mains’ face carried its usual neutral expression, and he turned casually
at Lee’s approach.He picked up
something from the chart table and, as Lee stopped a few feet away, tossed it
to Lee.Lee caught it easily, and
discovered a small set of keys.

“There’s
a car waiting on the dock, Lieutenant.Take it and drive over to the base hospital.Capt. Nelson is being released.”

“Yes,
sir,” was all Lee could manage to get out.Capt. Nelson was going to have him alone – in a car – and Lee just knew
that he’d be lucky not to have broken eardrums before he could complete the
relatively short drive back to the dock.

“And
be quick about it,” Mains’ voice broke in as Lee just continued to stand
there.“Capt. Nelson doesn’t like to be
kept waiting.”

“Yes,
sir,” Lee answered, stopping his turn.“I’ve been there a couple of times.”Mains raised an eyebrow, inviting an explanation.When it didn’t come, he just nodded.

But
Lee hesitated.“Sir?Why me, sir?Wouldn’t it be better if someone else…”

Mains
cut him off.“The Captain asked for you
personally, Lieutenant.Now be off.Room 203,” he added.

“Aye,
sir,” and Lee scurried up the ladder to the conning hatch.This time there was no mistaking, despite the
benign expression on the XO’s face, the sparkle of humor that danced in his
eyes.Boy, did I misjudge him, Lee
admitted reluctantly.

It
took a scant fifteen minutes to make the short drive across the base to the
hospital, and the entire way Lee’s stomach kept threatening to disgrace
him.When he pulled into the parking lot
he took a couple of deep breaths, straightened up, and got a firm grip on his
emotions.“I will not dissolve
into a puddle of guilt,” he told himself.“Whatever happens, I brought it on myself.I’m still happy that Capt. Nelson got the
treatment that he obviously needed, and if it scuttles my career, letting an
illness go untreated didn’t end his.That’s what’s the most important thing here.”He clamped his cover on his head and walked
with determination across the parking lot and through the front doors to the
hospital.

Once
inside, cover tucked under his arm, some of his resolve tried to melt
away.He stopped at the desk to get
directions.When he mentioned the room
number, the nurse on duty rolled her eyes.“Finally,” she muttered.“Be glad
to see the last of that one!”She
pointed Lee in the proper direction.Lee’s resolve faltered a bit more, just for a second, before he gave
himself another mental shake and headed down the hall.

The
door to the room he wanted was standing open, and Lee stopped at the
entrance.Nelson had his back to the
door, putting a few things into the small kit that was lying on the bed.There was a wheelchair sitting a few feet
away from him.Lee took a deep breath
and knocked on the doorframe.“Lt.
Crane, reporting as ordered, sir,” he said quietly.

Nelson
spun on his heel at the sound.“Harrumph,” he growled.“About
time.”He finished stuffing the few
items into his kit, closed it, and turned and sat down in the wheelchair, kit
in his lap.“Push,” he ordered.

Lee
blinked, unmoving.“Sir?”

“I
said push, Lieutenant.The blasted
hospital won’t let me just walk out.Blasted regulations.”He sent Lee
one of the most menacing glares Lee had ever seen on the man’s face.Lee scurried to comply.

Nothing
more was said between the two as Lee propelled his CO down the hall and out the
front doors.The instant they closed
behind them Nelson bounced out of the chair and once more glared at Lee.Lee quickly pushed the chair back inside the
doors and over to one side, out of the way, and hurried back to show Nelson the
way to the car.Nelson’s face continued
to hold a scowl, and Lee wasted no time heading back toward the docks.

But,
about half way back, Nelson suddenly ordered, “Pull over.”

“Sir?”They were down between two huge storage
buildings, a short cut Lee had learned on one of his earlier visits to the
base.

“I
said, pull over.”Nelson’s voice had
changed from gruff growl to almost soft.

Lee
nearly stopped breathing.He’d had
occasion to hear that tone in the Captain’s voice only once during his four
years at Annapolis.It was an indication of Nelson at his most
dangerous, and did not bode well – at all – for the person on the other
end.Lee pulled the car over carefully,
put it in park, and turned off the motor.Here it comes, he told himself.He left his hands on the steering wheel, more to have something for them
to do than anything, and turned his head not quite to the point of looking
directly at Nelson.“Sir?” he said
again, quietly.

“Lieutenant,
do you know why I asked to have you come pick me up?”Nelson’s voice was still soft.

Lee’s
stomach was once again doing flip-flops.But he took a deep breath and said what he believed.“To rip me a new one, in private, for my
insubordination.Sir,” he added,
carefully.

Nelson’s
instant laughter filled the car, and Lee finally looked fully at him, totally
incredulous.It took Nelson a few
moments to get himself back under control, but he finally shook a finger at
Lee.“Three days ago…” he continued to
chuckle softly, “and without Admiral Laird’s presence, you’d have been
right.”He sent Lee a meaningful
look.“Just as you were right to do what
you did at the time.”

Lee
just stared at him.“Sir?”Suddenly it seemed the only word that would
come easily out of his mouth.

“Right
then, I was so mad at you that I could have tossed you to the sharks and not
given it another thought.”It was
Nelson’s turn to give himself a little shake.“And I would have been totally wrong.”Lee just continued to stare unabashedly.“Oh, I knew that I was sick.But
be hanged if I’d let myself admit it.Mains knew it.Hell, the whole
blasted boat knew it.But it took our
newest, most junior officer, to do the right thing and make me deal with
it.”Lee opened his mouth, nothing came
out, and he closed it again.

“Lee,
the Navy doesn’t spend all those years and dollars training officers to be
‘yes’ men.Oh,” he sent Lee a
particularly knowing look, “a certain amount of discipline has to be
maintained.”

“Yes,
sir,” Lee finally was able to acknowledge, albeit carefully.

“But
we need officers who can think on their feet and deal effectively with problems
as they arise.I’m thanking you for what
you did.Now,” he sent Lee a glare, “
you pull a stunt like that on my watch again, and I’ll toss you overboard and
forget where.Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, sir.”As a smile touched Nelson’s eyes, Lee let himself finally take a relaxed
breath.“Not without a good reason, at
least, sir,” he added, looking at Nelson through slightly lowered eyes.

Nelson’s
glare momentarily turned nasty, before he once more burst out laughing, and
lightly backhanded Lee’s shoulder.“Now,
get me back to the boat.I want off this
base and back to sea as fast as we can manage it.”

“Aye,
sir,” Lee agreed enthusiastically, and turned the ignition.

Nothing
was said for a bit, then Nelson broke the silence, speaking almost – but not
quite – to himself.“I told Mr. Mains,
when we received your orders, that life aboard was about to get interesting.”He sent Lee a soft grin.“I think that he’s finally starting to
believe me.”Once more Nelson’s soft
chuckles filled the car.